Modular matrix with plug interconnection

ABSTRACT

A modular matrix with plug interconnection including at least two individual modular matrix boards of insulating material essentially alike in construction with each board having an upper and a lower face, upper conductive members secured to the upper face and lower conductive members secured to the lower face, detachable contacts secured to the boards, certain of the contacts being electrically united to the upper conductive members and certain of the contacts being electrically united to the lower conductive members, certain of the contacts having wire wrap tails extending beyond the boards with the wire wrap tails of individual boards being electrically united together whereby a series of individual boards may be wired together to produce the equivalent of a large matrix.

United States Patent [151 3,670,207 Seabury, III [4 1 June 13, 19721541' MODULAR MATRIX WITH PLUG 3,249,905 5/1966 Ruehlemann ..'...339/1ac INTERCONNECTION FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS [72] Highland 973,98311/1964 Great Britain ..339/18 R 2487 1,185,681 1/1965 Germany ..339/180 [22] Filed: Sept. 25, 1970 V Primary Examiner-David Smith, Jr. [21]APPL 75,408 Attomey-Alan H. Bemstein 52 us. on. ..31mm on, 317/101 cx,339/18, [571 ABSTRACT 339/17 A modular matrix with plug interconnectionincluding at least [5 1] Int. Cl. "05k 1/ 4 two individual modularmatrix boards of insulating material [58] FleldolSearch .;...339/l8, 18P, 18 C, l7LC, essentially alike in construction with each board havingan 339/47 R; 317/101 CM, 10! DH, 101 CC upper and a lower face, upperconductive members secured to I the upper face and lower conductivemembers secured to the 56] Rflmnm Cmd lower face, detachable contactssecured to the boards, certain of the contacts being electrically unitedto the upper conduc- UNITED STATES PATENTS tive members and certain ofthe contacts being electrically united to the lower conductive members,certain of the con- 2,946,976 7/1960 81:151. acts having wire p tailsextending beyond the I I with 3,458,848 7/1969 De 1n the wire wrap tailsof individual boards being electrically 3,008,113 11/1961 Johnson""317/101 DH united together whereby a series of individual boards maybe 3,353,138 1 1/1967 I LOOSC ..339/18 C wired g h toproduce theequivalent ofa l g matrix. 3,523,273 8/1970 Hammell et al.. 339/47 R2,750,572 6/1956 Fox ..339/47R 'lcm wrawin n um PATENTEDJUN 1 3 I972 A3. 670,207

' sum 2 or 3 INVENTOR WILL/AM A. SEABURY, ZZZ

PATENTEnJum m2 3870.207

sumanr a INVENTOR WILLIAM A. SEABURY, 1H

MODULAR MATRIX WITH PLUG INTERCONNECTION The invention furthercontemplates the provision of a continuous block with openings on equalcenters in the x and y direction, with such a block being constructed asa modular matrix, rather than a single large matrix.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a unique diode plugmember usable with the matrix.

This invention relates to a modular matrix with plug interconnection andmore particularly to a new and improved device ofiering uniquemanufacturing advantages over the prior art devices.

It is known to provide large matrix boards for use in the electrical andelectronic industries. Such boards generally must conform to certaindesign standards, depending upon the circuitry involved. Thus, it is thepractice in the industry to produce large matrix boards that are customdesigned; i.e., made to the customers specifications. This is not onlycostly, but extremely time consuming.

While the industry has at times used the building block principle tocreate pin boards, nevertheless, this principle has heretofore notbeenapplicable to matrix boards requiring connectors on equal centers.See for instance U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,220 wherein a pin board is composedof a series of strips and wherein the connectors are not spaced equallyin the x and y sense. See also certain patents exemplified by U. S. Pat.No. 3,070,769 which electrically unite a series of boards by a bussingarrangement that istotally difierent from the circui used in connectionwith matrix boards.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide amodular matrix with plug interconnection which overcome thedisadvantages of the prior art.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modularmatrix with plug interconnection wherein large matrix boards can be,quickly and economically produced using modular matrix boards.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a modularmatrix with plug interconnection wherein the plug centers will beequally spaced from each other on both the x and y axes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modularmatrix with plug interconnection wherein contacts of different boardsare electrically united and wherein such boards possess upper and lowerconductive members with the contacts being selectively electricallyunited to such conductive members.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modularmatrix with plug interconnection wherein a single diode plug possessestwo contacts, with one such contact mating with a board contact that iselectrically united to. an upper conductive member and the other plugcontact simultaneously mating with another board contact that iselectrically united to the lower conductive member.

The foregoing as well as other objects of the invention are achieved byproviding. a modular matrix with plug interconnection wherein there areat least two individual modular matrix boards of insulating materialessentially alike in construction. The invention contemplates usingeither small numbers or large numbers of essentially alike boards inorder to produce the equivalent of a large matrix.

Each modular board has an upper and a lower face, upper conductivemembers are secured in the upper face and lower conductive members aresecured to the lower face. Detachable contacts are secured to the boardswith certain of the contacts being electrically united to the upperconductive members and certain of the contacts being united to the lowerconductive members. Certain of the contacts have wire wrap tailsextending beyond the boards with the wire wrap tails of the individualboards being electrically united together whereby a series of individualboards may be wired together to produce the equivalent of a largematrix.

Each of the modular boards is so constructed as to have a contact of thepair inclined with respect to the plane of the other contact of thepair. The invention further contemplates modular covers for each board,with each cover havingan l.- shaped opening to permit the passage of apair of contacts associated with a plug member, with the plug contactsbeing designed to mate with the corresponding pair of contacts on theboard. One of the board contacts is electrically united to an upperconductive member and the other of the contact pair is electricallyunited to the lower conductive member, such that the plug contactssimultaneously establish an electrical path between the upper and lowerconductive members.

Other advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent byreference to the attached figures of the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is fragmentary plan view of a modular matrix with pluginterconnection embodying the invention, with certain portions of thecover partially cut away to reveal the tips of the modular matrix boardcontacts, and certain other portions of the cover and the modular matrixboard completely removed to reveal the back panel;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rear face of the modular matrix of FIG. 1which reveals the back panel wiring of the tails of the board contacts;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken within the circular indicator of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a comer of acomplete matrix assembly showing the plug about to pass through acomplementary L-shaped opening in the cover, with portions of the covercut away to reveal the dual nature of the cover construction, andfurther showing contacts extending from a board having conductivemembers, with the tails of certain of the contacts extending rearwardlythrough complementary openings in the back panel;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the underside of a fragmentary portion of themodular matrix shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken through the plug shown inFIG. 5;

7 FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a difi'erent comer ofthe modular matrix board of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines 8-8 of FIG.7. v

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawingwherein like reference characters refer to like parts there is showngenerally at 10in FIG. 1 a modular matrix with plug interconnectionconstituting an embodiment of the present invention.

As best shown in FIG. 5 and with further reference to FIG. 1, themodular matrix 10 basically comprises cover 12 which possesses L-shapedopenings 12A that receive one of the contacts 13A, 13B, l3C,'l3D and soon, that extend from each of the modular matrix boards 14. Certain ofthe contacts possess long wire wrap tails 15 that extend throughcomplementary openings in back panel 16.

FIGS. 5 and I further show several diode plugs 18 having contacts 19Aand 198 that are adapted to pass through one of the openings 12A in thecover 12, with the contacts 19A and 198 then mating with complementarycontacts 13A and 138 that extend from a modular matrix board 14.

The contacts 13 and 19 are of the so-called hermaphroditic type andinclude bevelled mating surfaces 22 and a relief opening 24 inaccordance with Fox U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 23,574 and 2,828,506, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. It will beclear to those skilled in the art that contacts of other constructionmay be utilized since the invention herein claimed does not reside inthe particular contacts used. For this reason, it is conceivable thateven male and female contacts may be used.

With reference to FIG. 5, the details of the cover '12 maybe seen. Thecover 12 is preferably a unitary piece that is produced in a singlemold. The cover 12 includes a series of L shaped openings 12A thatextend only partly through the thickness of the cover 12. As shown inthe cut-away portion of FIG. 5, the openings 12A merge part way throughinto openings 128, each of which are essentially comprised of a pair ofmerging circular openings. It will further be observed from FIG. 5 thatthe L-shaped openings 12A include bevelled surfaces to facilitate theentry of the contacts 19A and 19B of the plug 18.

It will be further seen in FIG. 5 that the L-shaped openings 12Aactually constitutea closed entry type of opening, and permit thepassage of plug contacts 19A and 198 in but one orientation.

Furthermore, the plug 18 (FIG. 5) possesses a grasping peg 26 to aidinsertion and removal. Furthermore, the cover 12includes lugs 28 thatare received in complementary openings 30 (FIG. I) of the modular matrixboards 14.

The details of the L-shaped opening 12A and the bicircular openings 12Bare also shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Attention is called to FIG. 3 whereinthe bevelled edges defining L-shaped openings 12A are readily visible.FIG. 3 also shows a lower opening 123 that is juxtaposed beneath theupper L-shaped opening 12A. This construction is also quite visible inFIG. 4 wherein the bevelled edges 32 defining the L-shaped opening 12Amerge with an inner L-shaped opening 34 that in turn communicates withone of the circular openings which together constitute an opening 128.

The details of the modular matrix boards 14 are visible in FIGS. 1, 5,5A, 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 1, four modular matrix boards 14 may beassembled into the frame 20. However, a large number of modular matrixboards 14 may be assembled together to produce the equivalent of a verylarge matrix board.

In prior practice, matrix boards were custom designed, depending uponthe needs of the potential user. This not only added greatly to thecost, but also added greatly to the manufacturing time.

With the present invention a matrix of the desired dimensions can bebuilt up using the necessary number of modular matrix boards 14, withthe finished matrix possessing the unique feature of having the L-shapedopenings 12A so spaced from each other that a contact pair locatedimmediately below an L-shaped opening 12A is equally spaced from theneighboring contact pairs in both the x and y directions.

As shown in FIG. 4, the contacts 13 are somewhat recessed within theopenings in the cover 12. In particular, the top edge 36 of a contact 13is seen to pass completely through the bicircular opening 123 and toextend just within the inner opening 34 of the L-shaped opening 12A.Thus, as shown in FIG. 4 the contact 13 preferably does not reach intothe area defined by the bevelled edges 32.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 7 and 8 the upper face 38 of each A modularmatrix board 14 possesses a series of parallel upper conductive members40 that are preferably formed by printing, photographing or etchingtechniques well known to those skilled in the art.

As indicated in FIG. I, each modular matrix board 14 possesses fiveparallel upper conductive members 40, and certain of the contacts 13 areelectrically united to one of the upper conductive members 40. See FIGS.7 and 8 wherein contacts UT and I3U are electrically united to upperconductive member 40A by soldering or other techniques well known tothose skilled in the art. However, certain of the other contacts, likecontacts 13? and 13R of FIGS. 7 and 8 are not united to any upperconductive member 40. Instead, these contacts, like contacts 13F and13R, pass through the modular matrix board 14 (which is of an insulatingmaterial) and are electrically united to a lower conductive member 44that is secured to the lower face 42 of a modular matrix board 14.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention there are five parallelupper conductive members 40 as shown in FIG. 1, and there are also fiveparallel lower conductive members 44, one of which appears in FIGS. 5Aand 8. It will be seen that the upper conductive members 40 run at adirection perpendicular to the direction ofthe lower conductive members44.

It will be seen from FIG. 5 that certain of the contacts, like contacts13A and 13D possess wire wrap tails 15. It is to be noted that contact13A has a wire wrap tail 15A, with the contact 13-A being electricallyunited to upper conductive member 40A.

However, contact 13D has a wire wrap tail 15D, but the contact 13D isnot electrically united to any upper conductive member 40. Instead, thewire wrap tail 15D is electrically united to lower conductive member 44as shown in FIG. 5A.

Contacts 138 and 13C do not possess wire wrap tails, but insteadterminate in stub ends 468 and 46C. As shown in FIG. 5A, stub 46B iselectrically united to lower conductive member 44, with the stub end 46Csimply terminating near the lower face 42, but without being in contactwith any lower conductive member 44. This is so because the stub end 46Cextends from contact 130 that is electrically united to upper conductivemember 403 as shown in FIG. 5.

The relationship of FIGS. 5, 5A and 7 may be understood by starting withcomer 48 of the modular matrix board 14 as seen in FIG. 5. The upperconductive member 40A extends toward corner 50 of FIG. 7 and the upperconductive member 408 extends similarly from corner 48 to corner 50.Thus, different portions of side 52 of modular matrix board 14 arevisible in FIGS. 5 and 7.

The internal structure of the diode plug 18 can be seen in FIG. 6including contacts 19A and 198. As seen in FIG. 6, the contacts 19A and19B are wired to a diode 54. Thus, the insertion of the plug 18 has theeffect of mating plug contacts 19 with a pair of modular matrix boardcontacts 13, such that the circuitry associated with the individualboard contacts 13 may be united together into a single circuit whichalso contains the diode 54.

It will be seen that a pair of plug contacts 19 are inclined withrespect to each other, such that the plane of one of the contacts 19lies at an angle (preferably with respect to the plane of the other plugcontact 19. The same arrangement prevails with respect to a pair ofboard contacts, except that the planes of the board contacts aredisposed at a 90 angle with respect to each mating plug contact.

It is therefore seen that one plug contact mates with a board contactthat is electrically united to an upper conductive member on the boardwhile the other plug contact simultaneously mates with another boardcontact that is electrically united to a lower conductive member. Thus,in a single plug connection a circuit is made that will include an upperconductive member 40 and a lower conductive member 44.

The wiring together of the wire wrap tails I5 is best understood byreference to FIG. 2 with further reference to FIG. 5 which shows thewire wrap tails 15 passing through openings 16A in the back panel 16.However, as shown in FIG. 2, the various modular matrix boards 14 aresecured together in the frame 20 by means of removable plates 56 thatare held in place by bolts 58.

It will be seen from FIG. 2 that the wire wrap tails extending from, forinstance, modular matrix board 14D (tails A, B, C and D) are wired byconductors 60 to wire wrap tails 15 that extend from modular matrixboard 14C. In reviewing FIG. 2 it will be seen that the four modularmatrix boards may be wired together in a predetermined pattern, suchthat the four modular matrix boards together constitute the equivalentof one large matrix board. It will be seen that a greater number ofmodular matrix boards 14 may be similarly wired together, with eachmodular matrix board being of essentially identical construction.

In view of the foregoing it follows that a large number of modularmatrix boards 14 may be kept in stock and simply assembled together inan appropriate frame or frames. Each board 14 is of essentiallyidentical construction having parallel upper conductive members 40 thatrun in a direction perpendicular to parallel lower conductive members44. Pairs of contacts 13 extend from each modular matrix board 14, witheach contact pair being equidistant from neighboring contact pairs suchthat when a series of modular matrix boards are assembled, all of thecontact pairs will be at equal distances in an x and y direction fromtheir neighboring contact pairs.

It therefore follows that the present invention constitutes a highlyuseful tool which not only greatly hastens the manufacture of aparticular matrix board, but also greatly simplifies pluginterconnection techniques by connecting through the use of a singleplug an upper and a lower conductive member into a single circuit. Itwill also be seen that the plug 18 need not be a diode plug, but cansimply be a shorting plug. in either event, the closed entry feature ofthe invention presents a distinct advantage.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate myinvention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge,readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What is claimed as my invention is:

1. A large modular matrix with plug interconnection including at leasttwo individual modular matrix boards of insulating material electricallyand mechanically united in abutting relationship in essentially the sameplane, each of said boards having an upper face and a lower face, upperconductive members secured to said upper face and lower conductivemembers secured to said lower face, detachable contacts secured to saidboards in board contact pairs, the first contact of each pair beingelectrically united to one of said upper conductive members and thesecond contact of each pair being electrically united to one of saidlower conductive members, said contact pairs being inclined with respectto each other in order to achieve reasonably close packing, certain ofsaid contacts having wire wrap tails extending beyond said boards, withthe wire wrap tails of individual matrix boards being electricallyunited together so that a series of individual matrix boardsmay be wiredtogether to produce a large modular matrix, and at least one plug havinga pair of plug contacts which mate substantially simultaneously with apair of board contacts to make a circuit including at least one upperboard conductive member and at least one lower board conductive member.

2. The matrix of claim 1 wherein said board contact pairs are disposedin planes at 90 with respect to each other.

3. The matrix of claim 1 wherein said plug contacts are wired togetherin a circuit including a diode.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein each board contact pair isequidistant from neighboring contact pairs in the the x and'y sense.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein each board is fitted with a coverhaving depending lugs being received in corresponding openings in eachboard, each cover having L-shaped openings merging into bicircularopenings to permit closedentry access to said board contacts whichextend into said cover.

6. The invention of claim 5 including a frame holding said boards andcovers.

7. The invention of claim 6 including a back panel with openingspennitting the passage of said wire wrap tails.

* I i II I

1. A large modular matrix with plug interconnection including at leasttwo individual modular matrix boards of insulating material electricallyand mechanically united in abutting relationship in essentially the sameplane, each of said boards having an upper face and a lower face, upperconductive members secured to said upper face and lower conductivemembers secured to said lower face, detachable contacts secured to saidboards in board contact pairs, the first contact of each pair beingelectrically united to one of said upper conductive members and thesecond contact of each pair being electrically united to one of saidlower conductive members, said contact pairs being inclined with respectto each other in order to achieve reasonably close packing, certain ofsaid contacts having wire wrap tails extending beyond said boards, withthe wire wrap tails of individual matrix boards being electricallyunited together so that a series of individual matrix boards may bewired together to produce a large modular matrix, and at least one plughaving a pair of plug contacts which mate suBstantially simultaneouslywith a pair of board contacts to make a circuit including at least oneupper board conductive member and at least one lower board conductivemember.
 2. The matrix of claim 1 wherein said board contact pairs aredisposed in planes at 90* with respect to each other.
 3. The matrix ofclaim 1 wherein said plug contacts are wired together in a circuitincluding a diode.
 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein each boardcontact pair is equidistant from neighboring contact pairs in the the xand y sense.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein each board is fittedwith a cover having depending lugs being received in correspondingopenings in each board, each cover having L-shaped openings merging intobicircular openings to permit closed-entry access to said board contactswhich extend into said cover.
 6. The invention of claim 5 including aframe holding said boards and covers.
 7. The invention of claim 6including a back panel with openings permitting the passage of said wirewrap tails.